Mills catches glimpse of ‘the real Bogut’

When center Andrew Bogut posted 14 points, 21 rebounds and four blocks in GoldenState’s series-clinching Game 6 win over Denver, it’s difficult to imagine anyone outside of the Bay Area was more excited than Spurs guard Patty Mills.

After watching his teammate on the Australian national team struggle through an injury-plagued past five seasons, Mills said it was nice to see Bogut enjoy a breakthrough on the postseason stage.

“That’s Andrew Bogut, if you’ve ever seen him at his best,” Mills said. “What he showed the other night, that’s the real Andrew Bogut.”

Bogut, the former No. 1 overall pick of the Milwaukee Bucks, appeared in only 32 games this season after undergoing ankle surgery in April 2012. His point and rebound totals from the series finale against Denver were career playoff highs.

Mills began playing with Bogut – widely regarded as the top Australian player of all-time — on that country’s national team in 2005. Aron Baynes, the Spurs’ backup center, is also a member.

Still recovering from surgery, the 28-year-old Bogut did not play with the team last summer at the London Olympics.

“We would have loved to have him in London,” said Mills, referring to a Boomers squad that was coached by Spurs assistant Brett Brown. “Those things, I guess, bring the character out of a person. Someone like that could easily have pulled it all in and said forget about it. He worked really hard to come back and he’s playing great.”

While much of the focus in the conference semifinals will be on Stephen Curry and Golden State’s squadron of perimeter shooters, Mills believes Bogut will play a key role as well. A former All-NBA contributor for the Bucks, Bogut is probably the best shot the Warriors have at keeping Spurs All-Star Tim Duncan in check.

“His presence in the key defensively is huge for them especially,” Mills said. “He’s big bodied, long, and he’s active as well. That makes him tough to score on.”

However the series goes, Mills said he and Baynes will likely wait until after it is over to discuss it with their heralded countryman. Despite sharing a history and heritage with Bogut, Mills says this series is all business.

“Although we are countrymen, we’re on different sides at the moment,” Mills said with a grin. “We’ll see how it goes.”